Eyelet.



W. M. HURLEY.

BYELET.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 6. 1914.

Patented Sept. 1, 1914.

PHON-LITHU.. WASHING ION. D. C.

MQW.

THE MORRIS Plfl'l al.

, Weerter HUM-@Y "OF @einem.MASSACeUSETTSa Improvement in Eyelets,of'which the fol-ry lowingis a specification. i i

Intim-manufacture of `laced-shoes 1t is quite popular at the presenttime to employ what are commonly called invisible eyelets.` Thecommonmethodof making the" eyeletsl invisible is to'secure them, intheusual man-i ner, to a facing-strip, and then tov arrangev saidfacing-strip 'on the inside of the topor upper at the side ofthefront-opening,-.and

to the top or upper, that the eyelets register with holes formed in"the'l portions at the:

sides of the front-opening.y Eyelets-of usual form arewemployed butinthis manner they are concealedfroin view. This method of.

concealing the eyelets is expensivejas well as objectionable for manyreasons. n l."

This invention has for its/object the production of an improved form ofeyelety having engaging-meansy extending over the,

outer and inner sides or faces of the ,top or upper, thereby to secureit in place, said engaging-means being arranged to admit of the eyelet,for the most part," being concealed in the eyelet-hole, and its exposedportion being arranged to be covered and" therebyconcealed by thelacing.

In one embodiment. of my inventionthe improved eyelet comprises atubular body, usually of cylindrical form, the lower end of which may bebent outwardly by pressure to form a flange,;3ubstantially.the same ashas heretofore been done, and the upper end of which has a short narrowneckarranged in continuation of the body, at one side thereof, said neckhaving at its extremity an outwardly extended ear, which is, or may be,co-extensive with the neck. When this eyelet is set the ilangef at itslower end willengage the inner face and the ear at its upper end willengage the outer-face of the top or upper;` and said earis arranged onthat side of the eyelet-hole next the edge of the front-opening', sothat when the lacing is passed through the eyelet, said ear will becovered and thereby concealed by the lacing.

l The tubular body together with the neck thereon may be madeapproximatel long enough to extend through the eyeletole in the top orupper, in whichA case the upper .i Specification of Letters Patent, yAppiicationaid-Apriie,1914. serial No; 829,877.v

The neck :at the upper vend of the body may "be reduced in lengthxto`such an; extent that ,the ear. will ,be disposed close.y to the planeof :the upper end of the body, or said neck `may be entirely omitted,and, in the latter case, the ear; will be 'extended outwardly, directlyrfrom the upper end oftheL body, l"although arranged in a planeaboveftheupper end of the body'a distance `equal tothezthicknessof the ear,thereby-to enablethe body vtooccupy a'concealedposition in theeyelet-hold` s My inventionqtherefore includeswithin its scope atubularbody of such dimensionsas Patenteaisepai,1914.' t

ofthe tubularfibodywillibe arrangedibe-,i 1 dow,theouterlfaceof saidftopor upper, or saidtbody and neck may beof `lesser length.4

not to `'project beyond the outer I'faceof the f i upper, andy havingnan`ear at its upper end which extends 'over the outer face .of kthe ma,-terialat oneaend'of` the eyelet-hole, which ,ear serves asfacoperatingpart'of the enl gaging-meansifor the eyelet. Figure luisVa'perspective'view of the top or upper of a'laced-shoev with eyeletsem? bodyingthis invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan viewlofonevofthey,side-portions.; Fig.,.3 is a4 bottom plan view of one'of theside-portions.' Fig. 4 is a vertical section of one of the`side-portions illustrating the eyelet in vertical section. Fig. ,5 is aperspective view of one of the eyelets, and Fig. 6 is a perspective viewof a modified form of eyelet embodying'my invention.

Referring to the drawings, Figs. 1 to 5, 1`

represents thek tubular body of the eyelet, here shown as of cylindricalform; 2 `is a short neck arranged at the upper end of said body, and 3is an ear extended outwardly from the upper end of said neck andco-.extensive therewith. The tubularbody f is composed ofductile'material admitting of its lowerk end being` bent1 outwardlyduring the setting operation to vform a flange 4, as has usually beendone in the setting of eyelets. When the eyelet is set in the eyeletholein the top lor upper, the ear 3 engages the outer face and the flange 4engagesk the inner-face thereof, thereby clamping the material'of thetop or upper between them, the ear and flange thus constitutingengaging-means or securing-means for the eyelet. The eyelet is set linthe hole with its ear arranged at `that side of thehole next the edge ofthe side-portion, so that when the lacing is passed vthrough it, saidear will be covered and` thereby concealed by said lacing. In thekembodiment of the invention shown in said figures, `the, neck 2,extends down into the eyelet-hole a short distance so that the upperend'of the tubular body ter-` minates below the outer face of thematerial, but, as above s tated,.said neck may not only` be made oflesser length but may be entirely omitted, and, as representedin`Fig.6,the ear 3, is extended outward directly from the upper i end ofthe `tubular body, although arranged in a ,plane above Saidend a.distance. equal tothe thickness of .the metal y composing the ear, andall instances, the

eyelet, for the most part,-or atleast the tubular body thereof,-isconcealed iny the.` eyelet-hole. i

l. -An eyelet consisting ofca tubular body having-an ear extending.outwardly at its upper `end which is co-extensiye with a portion onlythereof 4and arranged for coper-r ation With an .opposing ange formed byybending 'outwardly the lower end of said lower end of said body,thereby to clamp a` Copies of this patent may be obtained for materialbetween them, substantially as described.,` l p f n 3. An eyeletconsisting of a tubular body ladapted to be arranged in an eyelet-holeand having a narrow ear at its upper end :whichis ladapted to overliethe surface of -the material at one side of the eyelet-hole,

which earserves asa coperative part of the engaging means for theeyelet, substantially as described.

4.. An eyelet for laced-shoes consisting ofV a tubular body adapted tobe arranged inan eyelet-hole in the upper at the side of the frontopening with its upper, end-portion for the most kpart ,terminatingsubstantially flush with but notprojecting beyond the outer surface offthe upper, and having an ear atits upper end which is adapted toeXptend for a short distance over the outer sur-k face of the upper. atthat side of the eyelet- `hole between said hole and the' edge of theportion in which it is set, thereby to be `covered by the lacing, saidear serving as va coperative part of the engaging-means for the eyelet,substantially as described.

.In'testimony whereof, I have signed my name to `this .specicatiom inthe. presence of two subscribing witnesses.

y y WILLIAM M. lVitnesses': f I

B. J..N,oYEs, y H. B. DAVIS. v

HURLEY.

iiv'e cents eacli, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,Washington, D. C. v

